Malcolm X at Oxford Union

Racial Politics in a Global Era

Saladin Ambar

The first book to place the Oxford Address in the canon of great civil rights speeches of the 20th Century

Makes the case that Malcolm X was seeking to organize a black human rights movement not only in America, the Middle East, or Africa, but in cities such as Paris, London, and Amsterdam as well

Shows Malcolm X moving beyond Black Nationalism, while at the same time rejecting the notion of 'color-blindness'

Makes the case that the racial, religious, and political difficulties associated with immigration in both Europe and the United States today owe their origins to the time of Malcolm X's address; and some of the more difficult solutions to those challenges can be found in that speech at Oxford

Malcolm X at Oxford Union

Racial Politics in a Global Era

Saladin Ambar

Description

In 1964 Malcolm X was invited to debate at the Oxford Union Society at Oxford University. The topic of debate that evening was the infamous phrase from Barry Goldwater's 1964 Republican Convention speech:"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." At a time when Malcolm was traveling widely and advocating on behalf of blacks in America and other nations, his thirty minute speech at the Oxford Union stands out as one of the great addresses of the civil rights era.

Delivered just months before his assassination, the speech followed a period in which Malcolm had traveled throughout Africa and much of the Muslim world. The journey broadened his political thought to encompass decolonization, the
revolutions underway in the developing world, and the relationship between American blacks and non-white populations across the globe-including England.

Facing off against debaters in one of world's most elite institutions, he delivered a revolutionary message that tackled a staggering array of issues: the nature of national identity; US foreign policy in the developing world; racial politics at home; the experiences of black immigrants in England; and the nature of power in the contemporary world. It represents a moment when his thought had advanced to its furthest point, shedding the parochial concerns of previous years for an increasingly global and humanist approach to ushering in social change.

Set to publish near the fiftieth anniversary of his death,
Malcolm X at Oxford Union will reshape our understanding not only of the man himself, but world politics both then and now.

Malcolm X at Oxford Union

Racial Politics in a Global Era

Saladin Ambar

Table of Contents

Prologue 19641 Introduction: "This is an interesting despatch"2 Extremism: "The revolution is now on the inside of the house"3 Liberty: "Please forward by any means necessary"4 Moderation "It is no part of the moderate to refuse to fight"5 Justice "To take up arms against a sea of troubles"6 Virtue "Authentic Revolutionary"

Malcolm X at Oxford Union

Racial Politics in a Global Era

Saladin Ambar

Reviews and Awards

"An essential companion to 1963's 'Message to the Grassroots' or 1964's 'The Ballot or the Bullet' in any assessment of Malcolm X as a political thinker and activist. " -Publishers Weekly

"Saladin Ambar writes of the impact Malcolm had on his generation of young black males who 'took on new names' if not because of Malcolm, then at least with his ghostly assistance...Many of us made knowing Malcolm a kind of vocation.' Malcolm X at Oxford Union is a testament to the depth of that vocation." -Jason Berry, America

"In this well-written book, Saladin Ambar adds substance to the extensive literature on Malcolm X. This book is a welcome addition to the literature." -Political Science Quarterly